DIFFICULTIES WITH THE DONKEYS 



39 



obliged to leave beliind la}^ about in chaotic confusion, and the 

 donkeys were still grazing untethered on the plains. It was my 

 business now to collect the remaining cases and bales with the 

 few men still with me, so as to have them quite ready to hand 

 over to Jumbe on his arrival, and then we set to work to 

 catch and load the donkeys. This was really a task like that of 



AT THE HEAD OF THE CARAVAN. 



Sisyphus. The animals knew full well that we meant to put 

 on the grand saddles they had alread}^ tried and made such a 

 fuss about, so as we approached they made off. And when it 

 came to saddling them, they behaved like mad creatures. 

 Their burdens on, they seized the next opportunity to rush off 

 and roll about till they got rid of the obnoxious loads, and we 

 could see them quietly grazing again in the distance, when the 

 whole ceremony had to be gone through once more. When 

 they discovered that these tactics were no good, the cunning 



